Agony
by The Dark Sword
Summary: Noah Kaiba was killed by a car accident...but so was someone else. Now, one bound to a promise, the other to revenge, they seek out Seto Kaiba to kill him. But will his friend's conscience get in the way? Slight OOC and A/U. No OCs; future YAOI (N/J/S)
1. Prologue

Summary:

Two boys were killed on the same day, by the same force...until, five years later, one bound to a promise, one bound to revenge, they try to kill their one adversary-Seto Kaiba. But will this friend of Noah's conscience get in the way? No OCs...you'll have to read to find out who Noah's friend is. ^^ 

Ohayo, minna-san...

This is going to be a slightly A/U fic, with angsty bits and pieces.  May contain YAOI in the future, I'm not sure...seeing as how this will turn out, probably. 

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Agony-Prologue

I was a child. A child when he found me. 

We were both ghosts...yet what we were doing that day could have been no more different than it already was. 

I floated with content ease around a corner, towards the richer part of Domino City, biding my time. 

That was when I saw him. He was levitating there in the air, watching contemptuously with bloodshot eyes as he gazed down at a man... 

A man leading two youths, the oldest no more than ten years old, toward a mansion.

As he descended, I descended. I had not seen another spirit for months, and my own wonder betrayed me as I followed him into the looming household. My soul had always mused about why I was bound to be chained forever to the earth, why I laid dormant within a town I could no longer make contact with, why I didn't rise into Elysian like I had always supposed. Now was the time to seek out answers...

We weaved through the hallways, me dwelling in the shadows as I tagged meticulously after the spirit of the other boy. He stalled for a moment in the frame of a door, still as still can be. For a moment, I stayed where I was, straining my neck to see and not be seen. Frowning as my eyes made no contact with my objective, I crept closer. 

That was when the hand reached out and grasped mine, and his eyes-those piercing, dark eyes, moody and ever changing-glared into my face. 

"Who the hell are you?" he hissed, boring into my head with those shadowed orbs. Not shadowed exactly-the shadow hovered, but didn't rest, over the bottomless irises, foreboding and tired, alive and flaming. 

"One like you." I answered, wrenching my without substance arm away from him. 

An angled smile lit up his pale face, and I studied him vividly in the few seconds before his reply. 

"I doubt it," he scoffed, turning around to gaze into the living room again. 

"What are you doing here anyway? Nothing special around. Unless you like the comfort of a five thousand dollar arm chair you can't feel."

His eyes glazed over, and an invisible wind flailed through his green hair. Perhaps spirits were able to do that when they wanted-I surely didn't know, I was new to death. 

"This is my home. Was my home." He responded softly, a hint of harshness ringing in his voice.

"Oh. I'm sorry." 

Were ghosts touchy about where they used to live like humans are when discussing how old they were? I told you, I'm a rookie.

My amber eyes flitted toward another part of the room, where the boy who had arrived with the man was playing with what seemed to be his brother. 

"Your family?" I asked, but immediately froze up as I reflected on how he would react. 

I hate the meaning of improvisation. 

"No." He answered shortly, the anger flaming in his eyes again. 

Uneasily shifting to the side of the doorframe, I blinked. 

"Nice place. Great furniture. Who are you, anyway?" I asked, changing the subject. 

He tilted his head, and a spark of distrust flickered in the green-haired boy's eyes. 

"What do you care?" he questioned testily. Not sarcastically. Just a bit tense. 

I shrugged. "You're the first spirit I met. Since I died, of course." 

He nodded, and there was a bout of silence. 

"I'm not supposed to be dead." 

His abrupt statement caught me by surprise, and I jumped a little. Blinking rapidly, I questioned vaguely, "Really?" 

That sounded stupid.

Meanwhile, I wondered what he meant. It could be a number of things...

Murder. Suicide. Manipulation. Accidents. 

Whoever (or whatever) had done it succeeded. That was probably the main point. 

"I hate him." 

Kami-sama, this boy had a reputation for being brusque. 

"Er-Who?" 

He gazed into the living room again, focusing with indefinable hatred at the two brothers. 

I studied them myself. There weren't so bad...a boy about the age of the spirit next to me; neat brown hair, soaring sapphire blue eyes,  and a pale complexion. The other was a laughing, innocent mass of wild black hair, and round, cobalt orbs. 

An ache of longing passed through my mind, reminding me of my younger sister. This boy was so lucky...he got to be alive. Alive and with the person he probably treasured most...

Shaking myself from deliberating over my (past) life, I waited for the spirit's answer.

"Their father. Their _stepfather_."

He pointed with revulsion toward the pair of two boys. 

Perhaps he was jealous that his father might like the two boys better. If that man outside the mansion _was_ his father...

Why did he want a father? My father had forgotten to pick me and Little Sister up after her school play, and when we started to walk home...that was when everything passed in a blur. I pushed the most important person to me in the world onto the sidewalk when the impending crash from that car came on. Of course, the rest is history. 

"Fathers aren't all that." 

I couldn't help it. It was infuriating...if only Dad had remembered that Little Sister was going to be Cinderella in the evening production, I would still be alive. So much for genetic love. 

"I know." 

His answer was spat out like a curse word. Okay, maybe he didn't have that much of a good past either. 

I looked toward him, and started to sheepishly propose something.

"Want to be friends?" 

I was ten, people, ten. 

He looked at me, and blinked as I held out my hand. 

Slowly, he began to shake it. 

"Al right. But you have to promise me something." 

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. That would be a good way to start out." 

He locked his eyes onto mine, and gripped my hand tighter. 

"You have to promise to help me win back my title as a Kaiba." 

I forgot where I had heard that name before, and I nonchalantly agreed to his plan.  

"I promise." 

We both nodded solemnly, and began to float back down the hallway. 

"Wait, what's your name?" 

He glanced toward me as we entered the courtyard. 

"Noah Kaiba."

"Jounouchi Katsuya. Call me Jou." 

"Nice to meet you...Jou." 

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Bet you guys weren't expecting that until the last few paragraphs (the sister thing kinda tipped it off).  This is probably going to get slightly confusing in the future...and could anyway tell me about Noah Kaiba? Like what color his eyes are? I'm deliberating over green or brown... -_- Anyway, read and review...^^


	2. Chapter I

Ohayo, minna-san...thanks so much for your reviews, **Blue Lagoon Loon,** **HikariChang** and **Taito-kisses. Also, thanks for the information and the email Taito-kisses; and thanks for what color eyes and his info is Blue Lagoon Loon. **

Here's another chapter...

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_"You're going in as his brother." _

_"Are you sure this will work, Noah?" _

_The blue-green haired boy snorted, and his eyes glittered slightly. _

_"Of course it will work. My _brother_ doesn't have the brains to figure out how to crack two nuts together, much less realize a slight change of personality." _

_The messy, blond-haired boy shrugged apprehensively. _

_"I mean, they've been living there for five years..." _

_"And we've been observing them for _five years_..."_

_ "You're bloodthirsty, Noah." _

_He let out a faint snicker. _

_"Shut up, Jou. I'm just in to claim what's mine." _

_The addressed blinked, and shuffled uneasily as he looked down at a black haired, cobalt-eyed boy._

_"The younger is so innocent...and you can't blame the older one. I mean, look what your father..." he trailed off, not wanting to say the '_F_' word. _

_There was an uneasy pause. Jou could almost feel the tension and hatred radiating in the air. Basically, the normal for Noah.  _

_"My father did all of this. He's going to pay for ever trying to deceive his _real _son...and this piece of work, as he__ would call it, is going to do it." _

_A thought suddenly rippled through the blond's mind. _

_"Wait-how old did you say his brother was?" _

_The other nonchalantly waved toward the short, black-haired boy. _

_ "About ten, I suppose." _

_ "Oh. Elementary?" _

_His voice was crestfallen. _

_Noah glanced at him amusedly. _

_"He's precocious by a grade. Junior High."_

_Jou__ grinned lopsidedly. _

_Noah smirked, musing on sibling relationships. _

_A nerve suddenly twitched in the other's head. _

_"How am I supposed to get into the boy's body?!"___

_Noah rolled his eyes, and shrugged. _

_"You force it." _

_Jou__ scowled. _

_"That's it?" _

_Noah tilted his head. _

_"When the boy is sleeping, obviously, you'll meet him in his dreams. We're able to do that, dunce," answered Noah foully at the look on his friend's face. _

_"Then why don't you do that to Seto?" asked Jou, ignoring the last insult. _

_The other apparition shook his head. _

_"His will-don't worry, I have a different plan. What we need right now is for you to weaken his soul...and his brother is the perfect way to get to it."  _

_Noah continued. _

_"Basically, once you get in the body will take in the mind that is the strongest.  It's most likely that you'll succeed, because sleep is a state of half-consciousness."   _

_Jou__ looked incredulous. _

_"How do you know all this stuff?"_

_Noah glared at the wall. _

_"Don't tempt me. I went through hell to get the information."_

_"Okay..." _

_The blond twisted slightly, glancing down at the black haired boy. _

_"Well, here goes." _

***

Seto Kaiba's eyes shot open, and on impulse sat up. 

He glared down at the coverlets, wondering sardonically whether the insomnia doctor would kindly get the HELL out of his daydream and bring him his PILLS?!  

He started to slowly lie back, but was immediately jerked up by a tingle in the back of his brain. The fifteen year old CEO of a Fortune 500 company scowled.

"ARGHH-!"

A cut off scream made Kaiba jump unintentionally. Musing on whether somebody was watching horror movies-Seto suddenly stiffened. 

_Mokuba__._ Mokuba was screaming. __

With a desperate glance toward his clock, it confirmed his fears. It was 5:30 in the morning. 

Seto Kaiba had gotten home at one o'clock.  

Began working at one thirty.

Made sure brother was in bed by _three o'clock__. _

  

The blue eyed boy closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. 

_You're being paranoid, Kaiba. _

Still, the tingle in the back of his brain wouldn't recede. 

_It's insomnia...it's insomnia..._

_You know it's not insomnia. _

Kaiba stood up unsteadily, and began to walk down the staircase until he got to the second floor. Picking his way gently through Mokuba's messy room, he bent down and gazed at the boy. 

He was sleeping soundly. 

Save for the tiny sliver peeking out from under the eyelids. 

***

Jou shifted mentally as he looked up at Kaiba's looming face. 

Pity almost attacked him when he saw how much sentiment and reluctant foreboding that hovered over the soulful blue eyes. For the first time, he saw them up close, and as he studied them further on, another thought struck him with a pang.  

They were beautiful. 

Shaking himself furiously in his mind, he reminded himself of what he was here to do. 

_Remember Noah. He's your best friend in the whole world. And you promised, Jou. You keep your promises. _

Watching as Seto Kaiba left the room, Jou closed his eyes-Mokuba's eyes. 

_You promised. _

***

The spirit of Mokuba Kaiba tugged on his brother's shoulder, desperately clawing away at the substance in vain. 

"Big brother, can't you hear me? It's Mokuba! Please, Seto..." 

With downcast eyes, he watched as Kaiba's form heaved himself up, departing from the room.  

He started to glide after him. 

"It's no use."

Mokuba stiffened as another voice abruptly pierced the air. He flipped around, and nearly reeled back at the sight that awaited him. 

"S-Seto?" he whispered in disbelief, straining his eyes to see closer. 

The boy snorted. 

"Of course not, you insolent plebian." 

The younger squinted, and realized that it wasn't Seto. He had the exact same blue eyes, but the greenish hair and the turquoise tinge cut it off. 

"Then-who are you?" 

The figure gave a wry smile. 

"Let's just say you're not the only spirit around here. Call me...Nika." 

Mokuba nodded, a tint of confusion marring his face. 

Inside, Noah was smirking. 

_After all, little one, the name Nika means victory in the Greek origin. And when this ends, it will be MY victory. _  


	3. Chapter II

Summary:

Two boys were killed on the same day, by the same force...until, five years later, one bound to a promise, one bound to revenge, they try to kill their one adversary-Seto Kaiba. But will this friend of Noah's conscience get in the way? No OCs... 

Ohayo, minna-san...

Kami-sama...sorry I took so long to update. We have standardized testing, and my teachers seem to be cramming everything before school ends because of Passover. There's been a bit of conflict about Noa (h)'s eyes and name. I'm just sticking with blue because I have people telling me their grey, green, grey-green, red, blue-green... sorry if that's any discrepancy. I know that his name is spelled without an 'h' by I always find myself calling him "Nway" without it. -_- Sorry about that if it disturbs anyone...I might edit it if you guys tell me too.  Here's another  chapter, then...

Thanks to reviewers Echo, **Trickster Princess, **Taito-kisses**, **Blue Lagoon Loon**, **HikariChang**, ****Indigo Tantarian, **Prism Eclipser**, and **Malik****** Fan.  **

Disclaimer: Standard. You all know the procedure. 

***

Shizuka bit her lip as she shuffled towards the car, looking up at the sky as she slid into it. The blue heavens seemed to mold themselves into a face. 

A familiar face, framed by messy blond hair and shining amber eyes. 

They seemed to wink at her. 

They seemed to...mock her. 

Shizuka sighed. It was on days like these; calm, serene days like these that she always thought of Jou. He had saved her life, he had comforted her _before _he ever saved her life, he had been...Jou. And what did she do for her brother? Cuddle with him as he protected her from the world. 

That was it. Cuddle. Big help she was. 

"Mom?" she said abruptly as they stopped at a red light. "Hmm?" Shizuka shifted. "Why did...why didn't..." She couldn't bring herself to it. She was such...such a _coward_, so unlike her impulsive, brave brother. Her heart ached as she whispered softly, "Never mind." 

_I'm sorry, Jou. I can't even bring you up in a conversation anymore without something holding me back. I'm sorry I can't even honor your memory... _    

***__

Sixth form. Sixth day. Sixth...six pieces of homework _already. Jou hoped Noah didn't expect him to actually complete the Japanese dictation, the fifty question math worksheet, and everything else that he hadn't bothered to keep track of. _

The only thing he was intent on right now was seeing Shizuka. 

And he hadn't seen _her _at all; in all the six days of school that had passed. Now it was Wednesday, the teachers were after his skin, and 'Mokuba Kaiba' was utterly failing every one of his classes.  

Not that Seto Kaiba had noticed. Kaiba was _so busy with his company, that he expected his precocious brother to finish his schoolwork without a problem. _

Not that that was wrong; considering the real Mokuba Kaiba was rather smart anyway. But really...Seto wasn't acting like Jou thought he should. 

If Jounouchi Katsuya was alive and living, he'd probably be as indignant about the Kaibas' money as much as his inattention to his sibling on an ordinary day. 

But he and Noah had studied them for five years; he and Noah had slaved for every detail about them…and if Jounouchi Katsuya hadn't known about Seto's dark past, he would've complained about the boy's arrogance to no end already.  

But Jou wasn't worried about that right now. He was worried about schoolwork. He was worried about the suspicious glances Kaiba sent at him sometimes, when Jou started to forget he was Mokuba. He was worried about...those blue eyes. 

***

            Jou strode down the hallway in Mokuba's body, trying to look as much like the eleven year old boy as possible. It wasn't easy-Mokuba always had this blank look about, and had a struggling pressure to be like his older brother. He was always standing tall, with mimicked or real pride, Jou didn't know. Of course, he had cracked up a few times when he saw the wild haired boy frown at his short height. 

But now, he didn't like to feel so...tiny. A vertically challenged boy walking amongst thirteen year olds and teachers whose eyes were as sharp as hawks wasn't something that Jou was used to playing. Noah had complained about his cockiness now and then, but Jou had never really paid attention. 

Now, it was anything_ but_ cockiness. Now, it was nervous Jounouchi Katsuya trying to copy every normal and diminutive thing about Mokuba. He just hoped he wouldn't get angry and go completely ballistic and get involved in fistfights, which wasn't anything like Mokuba Kaiba. 

Well, that wasn't much like Jounouchi Katsuya either. 

But a person _could_ activate that burning rush of feeling like venomous poison flowing through his veins, venomous poison that made Jou prone to any reaction 

Her name was Shizuka. 

***

            Jou walked along the corridor, absorbed in just trying to remember which class Mokuba had next. Suddenly, a sound made his ears perk up. A sound that remembered so well, remembered every night since he had _died, _remembered every day _before_ he had died. A voice. 

            "Please, Yukio, just go away..." 'Mokuba' turned around slowly at the voice, and his eyes made contact with the figure of an eighth grade girl who was trying to shove away somebody next to her. For a moment, he rejoiced inside at the sight of her-her ruddy chestnut locks, her flawless face, her autumn brown eyes...And then it faded to anger. 

            What the boy Yukio was doing made Jou see red. What did Noah call it? Sexual harassment. 

_And nobody's doing anything about it._

In that moment, he forgot everything-how he was in an eleven year old's body, how the person in front of his little sister was burly and much taller, and that the consequences would be crucial. He forgot everything Noah had told him about self-control, of meditation, of focusing your anger to wield it the way you wanted it to. Instead, it flamed all over his body; flamed so hard he couldn't stop it even if he had tried. 

Emitting a low growl, Jou pushed past a crowd of seventh graders, and planted himself in front of Shizuka, who was taller than him by at least half a foot in Mokuba's body. He lifted his fists, and snarled through gritted teeth, "Leave."   

***

The first thing Shizuka saw was a mop of wild black hair suddenly appearing before her, and the second thing was the shocked look in Yukio's eyes. 

The third thing she saw was the shock fade to anger. 

Incredulous as she was, Shizuka felt much more concerned about the boy in front of her's health. "Look...whoever you are," she whispered furtively, turning the boy around to face her. "Leave. Hurry up, before he hurts-" She stopped as her eyes widened. 

The glint in the boy's eyes reminded her so much of Jou. Reminded her so much of Jounouchi Katsuya that she almost threw her arms around the nameless boy and hug him to no end. Almost. 

"Who are you?" she asked, hushed. But the boy had already turned around, protectively (and not to mention _stubbornly) setting himself in front of Shizuka. Yukio's face curled into a sneer. "Well, if isn't rich kid Kaiba." Shizuka froze for a moment. _Kaiba...Kaiba...where have I heard that name before? _The boy growled low in his throat, his fists clenched. She couldn't just let him... "Yukio," she pleaded, "Just let him go. He didn't do anything wrong..." _

_This is for you, Jou... _

"Yukio, just leave him alone. He's only a kid. And his brother...his brother would be after your skin if you laid a finger on him." 

_Yes, Kaiba! _Seto _Kaiba! _

Yukio stopped momentarily as he contemplated the notion. As he did so, Shizuka bent down and said hurriedly, "Look...Kaiba. Hurry up and run before he-" She didn't get to finish as the frenzied, crazy short boy from nowhere leapt forward and tackled Yukio to the ground. 

***

            "You love your brother, don't you?" asked Noah carelessly, wiping off a piece of invisible lint from his shirt. Mokuba nodded soundlessly. 

"Nika...how are you going to help me get back into my body? What's going to happen?" 

Noah pretended to contemplate. This was like a game-a game and an avengement that was planned out from the beginning to the end. 

Of course, he was bound to win it. 

_Mokuba, Mokuba...so full of naiveté. You don't realize how important a role you play in this game...you're like the jail card that your brother's hand is hovering over right now. _  

He glanced over at the boy, and something suddenly came over him. A memory...

The boy was sitting, eyes downcast as he stared at the fancy marble floor. He stared at it like Noah had often done so before Jou had arrived. 

Jou...Jou. Over the past few years, Noah had tried to be indifferent to the strange feeling that fluttered in his heart, the strange feeling as he savored the view of those cheerful amber eyes and the overconfident look as Jou ran his hand through his hair, proclaiming, "This is in the bag!" 

And now...when this was all over, Jou would be his. 

Noah floated off of his chair, gazing down at the nearly translucent form of Mokuba. He lifted the boy's chin up and smiled. 

A sadistic smile, but a reassuring one.

"You'll know soon enough." 

_Yes, you shall...perhaps much sooner than you would want to know. _      

   


End file.
